


the language of flowers

by starkly



Series: you've been thunderstruck [27]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:49:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28309284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkly/pseuds/starkly
Summary: When Tony messes up something at work again, he needs a fast way to apologize to Pepper. His only hope? The man running the flower shop down the street.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Thor
Series: you've been thunderstruck [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064666
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	the language of flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for NaNoWriMo 2020 and [posted here](https://aleator.tumblr.com/post/636638664806514688) on my tumblr writing blog. This fic was proofread before being uploaded here but is otherwise unchanged.
> 
> Prompts taken from the AU-gust 2020 challenge list on Twitter. Day Twenty-Seven: Flower Shop AU.

Tony was screwed. He’d missed _another_ meeting he’d promised Pepper he would actually go to this time, only when he’d promised that he hadn’t realized the deadline for his latest project was on the same day. He’d worked through the night and then slept through the meeting without meaning to. Which meant now Pepper was ready to fire him from his own company and he had to think of some way to make up for it, fast.

The bell over the door of the tiny flower shop jingles as he enters, and he looks around at the plethora of options. He has no idea what to get her and wonders if buying the most expensive flowers works like buying the most expensive jewelry or wine as always a safe bet.

“Hi there,” a man standing by the counter at the back of the shop says. “Can I help you?”

Tony looks up and nearly does a double take. He doesn’t know what kind of person he expected to be running a flower shop, but a large lumberjack in an apron was not it. He’s even wearing a flannel shirt, though the flower tucked into his long, blond ponytail isn’t very lumberjack-ish.

“I, uh,” he starts, then stops, having forgotten why he’s even here.

“Are you looking for something specific?” the lumberjack man asks kindly, apparently not put off by Tony’s sudden bout of insensibility.

“Uh, flowers,” Tony finally says, stupidly.

“Is there a special occasion?” the man prompts him.

“Yeah, me fucking up, but that’s not really a special occasion so much as a regular occurrence.”

“Apology flowers, hm?” The man comes out from behind the counter, giving Tony a better look at just how big and burly he is.

“Yeah, my, uh--Pepper. Sorry for screwing up flowers.”

Despite the fact that he’s not making any sense whatsoever, the man seems to understand what he needs. “Does this Pepper have a favorite flower?”

Tony stares blankly at him.

“I’ll take that as you don’t know,” the man says with a laugh. He goes down the aisle until he stops in front of a bunch of orange, yellow, and pink flowers. “Tulips make good apology flowers.”

“I defer to your expertise on this,” Tony says, shrugging. “Pick me enough that it says I’m really, very sorry.”

The man hums to himself as he gathers tulips of all three colors, arranging them neatly in a bouquet so the colors blend nicely. He ties them off with a white ribbon, then rings up the purchase on the register.

“Thanks, man, you’re a lifesaver,” Tony says as he pulls out his credit card.

“You might want to wait and see if these work before you thank me,” the man says, and Tony finally looks at the nametag on his apron instead of just staring at his broad chest. Thor. Thor the lumberjack working at this random flower shop near his work.

“Nah, this’ll be great,” Tony replies, tucking his card away once he’s finished paying and taking the bouquet carefully from the counter. There’s a tip jar by the register and Tony feels bad he doesn’t carry cash on him ever.

“Have a great day,” Thor says, and Tony looks back up at him, unable to resist smiling back in the face of that oddly loveable smile.

“You too,” he says, and leaves to face his inevitable doom at Pepper’s hands.

Surprisingly, Pepper doesn’t kill him. In fact, she almost seems placated by the tulip bouquet, putting it on her desk and carefully making sure the arrangement stays intact. Tony has no idea how that son of a bitch knew this would work, but he’s definitely going to have to go back to the shop and leave a big tip.

He stops by a couple days later when he finally gets the chance. Like last time the bell above the door jingles, signaling his arrival. The shop is empty, no sign of any customers or employees, so Tony just shrugs and walks back to the register. He’d gotten cash specifically for this, so he pulls the wad of cash out of his pocket and drops it into the tip jar.

“Everything work out okay with your girlfriend?”

Tony spins around like he’s been caught in some dastardly act, spotting Thor coming out from some sort of back room of the shop.

“My who?”

“Your Pepper,” Thor says, and Tony’s surprised he even remembers that much. “The apology tulips?”

“Yes, right. The tulips. They worked great. For my boss-friend, not my girlfriend.”

Thor raises an eyebrow. “Boss-friend?”

“My friend who is also my boss. More or less.”

Thor looks slightly bemused but he doesn’t question Tony any further on it. “Did you need more apology flowers?”

“Oh, no, actually,” Tony replies. “I was just coming back to give you a tip.” He waves vaguely in the direction of the tip jar. “Because the flowers worked really well. Like, surprisingly, shockingly well.”

“I’m glad,” Thor says, setting down the bag of dirt he’d been carrying like it weighed nothing and moving farther into the shop.

“That you got a tip?”

“That the flowers worked.” He pauses in front of a display of roses. “And that you came back.” After careful consideration, he picks out a single pink rose. “And that Pepper isn’t your girlfriend.”

He turns back around toward Tony, smiling and holding out the rose to him. “I hope that means you’re single and willing to go on a date with me?”

Tony stares at the rose, then at Thor. “Me?”

“Is there anyone else in the store?”

“The flowers?”

Thor laughs and shakes his head. “I’m not that desperate yet, thankfully. But if I am barking up the wrong tree, please don’t--”

Tony hurriedly takes the rose from Thor before he can take it back. “I’d love to go on a date with you.”

“Great. Dinner Saturday?”

“I expect flowers,” Tony says seriously, “and I don’t put out on a first date. Unless the dessert is really good.”

Thor laughs again, a warm, hearty sound. “Perfect. I’ll pick you up at seven.”


End file.
